Description
Farmers encounter a number of problems resulting from the National Park status of the Yorkshire Dales. Planning controls can create extra costs for farmers but this is in some cases reduced through grants. The Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme pays farmers not to use artificial fertilisers, to keep lower levels of stock and to build using traditional materials. Farmers can also be paid to allow people access to their land. To some extent, farmers see themselves as park keepers, playing an important role in maintaining the Dales.
Classroom Ideas
This provides a stimulus for a discussion about who holds the power in a National Park. Use to inform a case study on a National Park, considering conflicts and how they are managed. Would add to a broader study on changes to farming and the changing role of farmers. How have changes in central funding, margins from traditional food production and possibilities of diversification altered the landscape and the role of farmers?
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